On Rundberg Lane, construction is in progress inside a warehouse that Austin ISD plans to transform into the new North Central Elementary School No. 2, which the school district will use to help alleviate overcrowding at nearby campuses.

"We were very excited to do a creative model using existing space and rethinking that space because land was impossible to find up here in the north central area," Superintendent Meria Carstarphen said Oct. 1 at a ground breaking ceremony.

AISD set out to find sites for two schools to relieve overcrowding in North Austin as part of the district's $343.7 million 2008 bond program, said Scott Rouse, architect and senior project manager with AISD's department of construction management.

In May 2013, the district purchased the former Austin Lighting Products warehouse to serve as the site of the North Central Elementary School No. 2. In August, the district opened North Central Elementary School No. 1 as the Janis Guerrero-Thompson Elementary School.

Flintco LLC Construction Manager Brad Adams said workers have cleared the way for the school's 57 classrooms and six common areas and will soon add structural supports for the second floor.

The 143,143-square-foot site will have capacity for 1,056 students, Rouse said.

There is a pressing need for new facilities to accommodate families in North Austin, in part because of the availability of affordable housing and access to transportation in the area, trustee Ann Teich said.

"Because of the rapid population growth in this area, there is an immediate need for relief to Cook, Wooldridge and Barrington elementary schools, which are currently over capacity," she said. "Also, since voters didn't approve bond funding for new classroom construction at Cook [as part of the district's May 2013 bond program], the need for relief for overcrowding is even more important."

The estimated construction cost is

$20.6 million, and the school is slated to open in August 2014.

"As the population of the North Central Austin corridor continues to grow, we can assure families that our district will have sufficient space to accommodate [students' needs] in these classrooms, cafeterias, gym and the library," AISD board President Vincent Torres said.

Local firms Heimsath Architects and Architecture Plus worked on the design, which is expected to achieve a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Architecture Plus Principal Mac Ragsdale said the design uses existing elements, such as the former loading area with openings for trucks, to add decorative features and large windows to the school. Colored numbers labeling each loading bay will stay on the outside of the building, he said.

"[This is] a building that really has good bones," he said.